Posts Tagged ‘HCAHPS’

There was a day when many health care leaders viewed customer service as a nice, but not necessary, add-on to daily operations. It often fell into the “fluff” pile because, after all, how could you show a direct return on investment for good customer service? And we all know that if you can’t show a direct return on investment, it isn’t of any real value. Or is it? Read more...

How quickly will we see results? That question tops the list of things CEOs ask us when we start working with them on their patient experience journey. What they really want to know is how soon they will see an increase in HCAHPS scores. The bigger question should be; how will we achieve and sustain progress?

A focus on scores alone is a myopic view of the real journey. When the scores are the only measure of success, you miss the opportunity to craft and nurture the context of the patient experience – the culture. Read more...

I just spent three days at the Beryl Institute conference and was surrounded by “my people” once again. Having been on this journey since 1993, I’ve watched the evolution of what is now known as the patient experience shift from a nice thing to do to a business imperative. I’m happy to report that, based on the energy, passion and innovation I witnessed: the patient experience is alive and well – and gaining traction.

As the patient experience gains significance in the industry, it’s important to keep an eye on the numbers and an ear on the stories. Virtually every organization is setting goals for their patient satisfaction scores. At the same time; it’s vital to listen for and share, the stories. Read more...

Ever since HCAHPS came into being, there has been greater concentration on creating an “Always” culture. Why? Because the word “always” is the top box choice on the HCAHPS survey. The good thing is that, by focusing on the word “always,” it helped healthcare organizations to set and uphold standards to drive the patient experience. But is it really consistent? Read more...

Just days ago, CMS released the 5-star rating system for patient satisfaction. This simplified means of reporting HCAHPS is something the public easily understands. At the same time, many healthcare leaders are having trouble understanding what lies beneath their scores. Let me tell you. It’s culture. Period.

A great culture—one that fosters high employee engagement and patient satisfaction is one that emerges and thrives under great leadership. The real secret to the five star organization starts and ends with leadership’s commitment to a service-centered culture. Here are a few questions that will tell you if you are headed in the right direction. Read more...

I could write a book on the excuses I hear from healthcare leaders about why their scores are lousy. No one argues with patient satisfaction survey data when the scores are high. But when HCAHPS or other satisfaction scores fall below a leader or provider’s expectations – out come the excuses. The overarching theme of all the excuses is, “We’re different and cannot be compared to those other organizations.” Tell that to your patients. They don’t care about how “different” you are. They care about their experience. Period. Read more...

In my work, I have many opportunities to interact with healthcare marketers. Even though many of them are passionate about culture enhancement and service excellence, they often get shut out of the process. The marketers I know work really hard to carefully craft messages and target key stakeholders. They are the guardians of the brand, yet are frequently not invited to the patient experience table. Because they aren’t involved in direct patient care, they are often kept at arm’s length from the patient experience discussions. That’s a mistake. They can’t be expected to spin fluffy stories of excellence to the media when the reality is to the contrary. Promising excellence then delivering a subpar experience only makes the organization look bad. Marketers can be a great asset in guiding the organization toward strategic goals. Read more...

I never hear people questioning the patient satisfaction survey data when the scores are stellar. I cannot imagine hearing a doctor say, “Ninetieth percentile? That can’t be right. I’m just not that good,” or a nurse leader say, “Our patients are overly generous. We don’t deserve to be in the ninety-fifth percentile.” But when the scores tank, excuses flow.

At the top of this list are those that I classify as “terminal uniqueness,” including the following: Read more...

There are so many best practices that produce great results yet take way too long for hospitals to embrace. One such practice is bedside reporting. It’s been hailed for helping improve communication and smooth out gaps in handoffs, but one of the best effects of bedside reporting is the sense of inclusion it gives the patient. Last week my sister was admitted to the hospital for four days. When I went to visit her, she told me how impressed she was with the nursing staff. Ever the curious researcher, I asked for more specifics. She told me how the nurses do introductions of the next shift right at the bedside. Read more...

I was recently doing a full-day patient experience workshop with staff nurses from several organizations and was stunned to learn that very few had ever seen the HCAHPS survey questions. Once exposed to the eight dimensions of the survey, they unanimously agreed that nurses could impact scores in all eight dimensions and were eager to explore solutions in greater depth.

What surprises me most is that when reimbursement is on the line, I would expect healthcare leaders to do more to engage nurses in making improvements. Improving patient satisfaction takes more than just telling staff to be nice. They have to first understand the patient perspective and then become involved in finding what works. Read more...